Engine-starting apparatus



Um. l4 1924.

1,531,823 J. BIJUR ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Original Filed Jan. 18, 1916 2 Sheets-Sheet l mm M w 1924. LMLME J. IBIJUR ENGINE S TARTING APPARATUS Original Filed Jan. 18, 1916 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lid dill

earn manner new no t1 t acnrn'n sonar r a. a, or n we Application filed! January 18, 1916, fierial 1W0. WWW.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that ll,'.l'osnrn BIJUR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Engine-Starting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention'relates to engine starting apparatus. Une of the objects thereof is to provide simple andpractical apparatus for automatically starting internal combustion engines and, the like. Another object is to provide apparatus of the above type of com pact, inexpensive and durable construction and reliable action.- Another object is to provide apparatus of the above type in which the parts, while not of heavy construction, are so arranged as not to ,be subjected to severe shock or strain in use. Other objectswill be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinar.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the structure hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawin in which is shown one of various possi le embodiments of-this invention,

Figure 1 is a side elevation thereof partly in section;

Figure 2 is a similar view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 1, the part appearing in another position; 1

Figure 3 is a detail end view of a pinion and related parts.

Similar reference characters refer to similar arts throughout the several views of the rawings.

Referring now to Fig.1 of the drawings, there is diagrammatica y indicated at 1 an internal combustion engine upon the crank shaft 2 of which 'is mounted a fly wheel 3 providedwith a gear ortion d.

ounted arallel with shaft 2 is an electric motor, t e casing of which is shown at 5 and the armature indicated at t. It is to be understood that the details of con 1 tion of this motor are not he she as arena, nr nsnn t a r. a tonne rs, TO EGIIWEE 1 Y0 a r;

Mnewed April an, in. aerial nearer.

they form in themselves no part of the present construction.

The armature shaft 7 is mounted in suitable bearin' 8 and 9 and is so formed as to be permitt a slight endwise movement limited in a direction toward'the left in Fig. 1 of the drawings, by the engagement of the shoulder 10 with an annular cup 11 fitted upon the journal of the shaft. The shaft with its armature is resiliently held in the normal position indicated, by means of a spring 12 coiled about the same and compressed between the cup 11 and a similar on 13 facing in the opposite. direction.

he outer end of the shaft? toward the fly wheel 3 is provided with a threadlt upon which is fitted the internally threaded pinion 15. This pinion is formed by cuttin therein teeth 16 of suitable pitch to mes with the teeth of gear 4 and each of which decreases in depth toward the outer end of the pinion. A recess is formed in the outer .end of the pinion within which normally rests the stop collar 17, freely rotatable on the shaft, and lock nuts 18 by which the out ward movement of the pinion is limited.

The hollow extension 19 of the pinion is cut away preferably through about a half circle, as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings so that it is of semi-annular form and provides an eccentric weight tending to prevent the pinion from turning with the shaft. At the inner end of the threaded portion of the shaft which is of reduced diameter, there is slidably fitted a collar 20 having thereon an annular cup 21. The shaft whic increases in diameter by progressive steps up to the portion within spring 12 forms a shoulder 22 against which there is tightly fitted a ball race 23. An annular cup 24 facing away from the motor is provided on its rear surface with a ball race registering with that in the member 23, and in these races are positioned suitable bearing balls 25 held in place by any desired form of retainer 26. The cup 24 which is freely rotatable on the shaftthus rests, so to speak, upon a ball bearing of the thrust type and is well suited to take any degree of pressure exe thereon. etween the cups 21 and 24 is poeitiod a heavy coil spria27 WhlGh-lfi referably given a slight initial coin ression in order to hold the collar 20 with rmness in. the normal position shown.

Considering now the action ofthe device and with the parts indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the motor is started by connectingit with any suitable source of current. At the initial rotation of the motor shaft, the pinion, partially due to its inertia and partly due to the eccentric weight 19, does not partake of such rotary movement and accordingly rapidly travels along the thread 14 to bring itsv teeth into mesh with those of the gear 4. The meeting ends of the teeth are pointed-or prow-shaped, and

in the rare contingency that they meet precisely end to end, the parts are not jammed, as theabove described permissible endwise movement of the shaft against. the. force of spring 12 prevents wedgingand the teeth, upon continued rotation of the shaft, thus slip into mesh at one side or the other of -,,;;-tl os e with which they have met. As the finion completes its travel, its projecting oss or shoulder 28 comes into engagement with the collar 20 and further rotation of the shaft results in a gradual compression of the spring 27 until sufficient torque has been exerted through the pinion to break the engine loose or, in other words, overcome-the static friction and other resistance of these parts to its initial movement. As the latter resistance is considerable, a high degree of power is required and in this apparatus it is gained, not only by the direct power from the motor but by the momentum of the parts which is here safely utilized.

It is to. be especially noted that there is with apparatus no jamming action as the collar 20 with the two cups 21 and 24, as well as the sprin compressed therebetween, turn freely with the pinion by rea son of the thrust ball bearing; also the threads 14 are of anon-'ammiug angle, and it is to be understood t at by this term is meant such an 1e having due regard to the coeff cient of giction ofthe meeting surfaces, as will not lock the parts however great the pressure he thereon. Upon the engine being started, the gear- 4 tends to drive the pinion at a greater rate than the speed at which the motor tends to drive it,

and there -.is"'accordingly' an unscrewing action which is, by the way, facilitated and rendered more certain by the expanding tendency of the spring 27. This action throws the pinion out to the position indicated in-Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the current being cut off from the motor, the parts are again in a normal position of rest as indicated in Fig. 1.

I Itwill thus be seen that there is provided -.apparatus in which the several objects of 'thisinvention' are achieved.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention and as various changes might be made in the'embodlment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. x

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus of the 'character described, in combination, a motor, a threaded shaft driven from said motor, a pinion loosely threaded upon said shaft, a gear, a spiral compression spring mounted in position to be compressed by said pinion and thereby limit the movement of the same along said shaft, and so mounted as to permit relative rotation of its ends during compression, said shaft being mounted for slight longitudinal m'ovement, should butting of teeth occur, to relieve this condition.

2. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, an internal combustion engine, a gear driven from said engine, an electric motor, a threaded shaft adapted to. be driven by said mlotor, and

being mounted for limited longitudinal movement in its bearings, a pinion threaded upon said shaft, in-position to travel along the same into mesh with said gear. spring means adapted to be deformed as said pinion goes into mesh with said ar, and additional spring means adap to yieldingly olppfose said longitudinal movement of said s a t. 1

3. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, an internal combustion engine, a gear driven from said engine, an electric motor, a shaft coaxial with said motor, and adapted to be driven thereby,

apinion threaded upon said shaft, in position to travel along the same into mesh with said gear, a coil spring surrounding said shaft and arranged to have the distance between the turns thereof decreased as said pinion goes into mesh with said gear, said shaft being mounted for limited longitudinal movement in its bearings, and spr' means to yieldingly oppose saidlongitudinal movement, whereby butting of teeth is effectively overcome.

4. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, an internal combustion engine, a gear driven from said ongine, an electric motor having a threaded extension of its armature-shaft in rigid relation'to the body of the shaft, a pinion threaded upon said shaft in position to travel along the same into mesh with said ar, said shaft being mounted for alimited ongitudinal movement in its bearings, a spring about said shaft urging it in one direction, and a second sprin about said shaft exertdirection as it goes into mesh.

nnnnnn 5. ][n apparatus of the ehnrneter described, in combination, an electric motor provided with an extended nrmntnre shntt mounted for a limited longitudinal movement in its bearings, a pair of compression springs about said shaft oneof which urges it in it ggedeterminedl direction, n thrust bearing tween one endl of the other of said springs and said shaft, end. n pinion mounted upon said; shaft and movable into W operntive relation to the remaining end. of saint test spring to compressv the some.

In testimony whereof hove signedmy name to this specification this fourteenth day of Jnnnnry, 1916.. I

I JUSEPH BLIUUR. 

